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wildly

/ˈwaɪldli/
/ˈwaɪldli/
IPA guide

If you've ever done something in a big, excited, uninhibited way, you know what it means to do things wildly. Preschoolers might sit in a calm circle for a little while, but they're usually happier running around wildly.

Doing something wildly involves exaggerating it, or doing it in an unpredictable or uncivilized way, like a wild animal. Angry people shout and gesture wildly, and sports fans jump around and cheer wildly when their team wins an important game. The adverb wildly comes from wild and its Proto-Indo-European root that means "wild" or "woodlands."

Definitions of wildly
  1. adverb
    to an extreme or greatly exaggerated degree
    “the storyline is wildly unrealistic”
  2. adverb
    in an uncontrolled or unrestrained manner
    “He gesticulated wildly
  3. adverb
    with violent and uncontrollable passion
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